12 rules to getting the best from your web agency
Building and maintaining a solid and trusting relationship with your design agency is key to ensuring your project’s success. Relationships with design agencies quite often fail because clients see them as suppliers instead of partners and in treating them as such, will reduce the value an agency will add at a time when their solutions are most needed.
Some clients will learn this lesson the hard way, becoming battle worn and jaded, constantly struggling with their design agency and never letting them realise their true potential. However, others will recognise there is an alternative to this process and whilst these 12 golden rules are only based on our past experiences, applying them could help build a great partnership between you and your agency, which in turn will deliver better results.
How do you get the best from your design agency…
1. Show mutual respect
Treat your agency like an equal partner and value their perspective. Quite often clients are so involved in their business and the project in hand that it is difficult for them to see how this may be perceived from a customers point of view. Work as a collective; it will make everyone’s life more pleasant. Similar to any long-term relationship, it takes a lot of hard work and clear communication to build a strong relationship.
2. Define your goals
Brief the agency with backing of the key players (core team) from all companies involved. Hopefully, this meeting takes place in the same room but can also happen over the telephone. Start with a communications/design brief and make sure that everyone agrees with the objectives for the project. Agencies have digested and created many more design briefs than you might have, so at this meeting, welcome contributions that would help further define this and be open to constructive criticism from all members.
It is important to note that smaller projects may seem like they don’t need this type of communication. These are usually the projects that derail because not as much thought is put into the project at the start and the team has not agreed about direction. A quick meeting and written confirmation can quickly solve this issue.
3. Define your teams, roles and responsibilities
There’s nothing worse than everyone in the room being in agreement, all fired up and ready to go, only to be told the Chairman wasn’t involved and has now changed his mind. Establish a chain of command and ensure all external influences are either accounted for or contained right from the start. Most friction in projects is caused by external forces rocking the boat. If this is unavoidable (as it often is) make this clear from the beginning and ensure all external influences that are not directly involved in the project are either kept in the loop or kept at arms length.
4. Set the limits
Set the brand and creative parameters up front. Does this project need to fit within strict guidelines, or is this an opportunity for the agency to explore creatively? Make sure everyone on your team agrees with your direction, and clarify the parameters. If aspects of a project are challenged that fall into another agency’s area of responsibility, seek their advice or make them aware, otherwise you are breaking rule number 1 in that relationship.
5. Define the background details
Always give the agency as much background detail as possible on the project and business, and clearly define what you are trying to accomplish. It is very helpful for the agency team to understand the thought process behind the project. It will also give them the opportunity to ask questions, make sure they understand the scope of the work, and clarify the timeline and budget range.
6. Give a budget range; it saves time
Share the budget information with the agency when you can. If the agency knows the project is set for £10-£20K rather than £60-£80K, it will make a huge difference in what they propose to you. There’s little point in creating an £80K concept if you could never be able to afford. Some clients have the opinion that knowing a budget reduces creativity. This is simply not that case and any good design agency will tell you that knowing your limits sets it’s own challenge. N.B. This applies to pitches too. Budgets level the playing field and
7. If your budget is tight, listen to the options
We’re all intent on delivering the best possible project and through experience know how to achieve the biggest bang for your budget. If you have a low budget, discuss this openly with the agency to see how they can maximise your investment. Tread with care when dealing with a new, untested agency, but if they have integrity, they will help you spend wisely.
If the agency is unaware of the budget and their proposal exceeds your funds, always give the agency a chance to rework the proposal, otherwise it was wasted time for both businesses. Further to this, if the proposal does exceed your allotted budget, but it is exactly what you were after, talk to them to see if this can be developed into stages and rolled out when budgets can be found.
8. Develop dialogues, not monologues
It is important to put the effort in right from the start to establish a collaborative relationship where you solve challenges together. Ensure there is open discourse between team members and when necessary, help the agency negotiate any tricky politics that may arise.
Support your agency when problems arise, and be available to help resolve issues or conflicts. This will build a strong relationship with the agency team and they will be more willing to bend over backwards to help you even within an impossible timeframe.
9. Focus on the positive; it will pay off
When performing a critique, include all the key decision makers. Always start with positive feedback or praise, even if you have to work to come up with something constructive. It sets the tone for the meeting, and it is much easier for people to handle constructive criticism if they feel something positive has come out of it. Before offering constructive criticism, ask why a design team has decided to take one creative direction over another. There may be a very good reason and may provide insight that you had not considered.
If work presented is totally off brand, consider the reaction carefully. It is not always the fault of the agency. It may have lost direction due to client demands or simply the agency was more keen to impress than stick rigidly to the guidelines. There will always be those on both sides who can forget or overlook the importance of consistent branding. Simply return to rules 1 & 2 and get the project back on track.
When giving creative feedback via email, follow up immediately with a telephone discussion. It is easy to misinterpret written instruction and you lose the value that the supporting discussion can add.
10. Problem-solve collectively
It is critical to collaborate with your agency team when problem solving. If there are issues, you need to raise these and work them through as a team. Don’t try to determine your own solution without the agency’s input, and don’t decide that the only solution is to never use them again. You will invest a great deal of energy starting over again with another agency, and there is no guarantee this process won’t be repeated. Before taking this option, consider why you chose this agency in the first place, after all they were probably the best candidate for the job. Getting them to understand your company’s brand and how to work with your team can take a great many months and mistakes can happen. By working through the issues and learning from the mistakes, stronger solutions and better relationships can develop.
11. Regularly conduct project debriefs
After each project, a review can be extremely useful. It helps to identify issues and highlight mistakes that should not be repeated. A review gives the team an opportunity to discuss what went well, what didn’t go so well and areas for improvement on both sides. A good review will create opportunities for making changes on both sides that will build upon your existing working relationship.
12.Celebrate successes together
A note to the whole team saying how much you appreciate their hard work goes a long way. If budget a geography allow, an event which includes all the team, including those you don’t encounter on a day-to-day basis has an incredible positive effect and creates a strong sense of teamwork.
The circles we move in are often smaller than we think. You can bump into the same people at different times in your career. Sometimes, you spend more time on a daily basis with your agency partners than with your own family an by building strong relationships, you will accomplish excellent results and potentially build some good friendships that will stay strong throughout your career.
Many thanks to all those who contributed to this.